In The Beginning, The Word

Lesson 3 (part 1)

ABIDING IN THE LORD

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7 (KJV).

And ... in the Amplified:If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7 (Amplified Bible).

To "Abide" in accordance to the origional Greek translation, taken from the Strong's Concordance means:

1. To dwell, or to keep my attention directed toward: to be totalIy united to. If I am truly abiding in the Lord, I will remain attentive towards Him. I will unite my heart to His, and His word will unite itself to mine. Pointing out, once again, Jesus Himself said: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you. Abiding speaks of a two way relationship. Such abiding also speaks of answered prayer. If you'll note in this verse, Jesus is pointing out a key word: "if". "If" we abide in a two way relationship with Him we can then ask what we will, and it will be done. In John 15:7, the Lord has placed before us a condition, "if we abide".

2. To abide is to remain - to continue unchanged.Consider how often we change. One minute we're feeling strong, the next, were falling apart at the slightest trial that comes our way. As we abide stronger in the Lord, and as we mature in Him, we will find ourselves no longer unstable, but rather stable in Him (through His power and strength, and not that of our own):

A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways. James 1:8 (KJV).

[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. James 1:8 (Amplified Bible).

As we mature, the doubting will cease, and faith will increase!

3. To endure - to persist, also, to suffer firmly or patiently.This is a good point to consider. Are we ever guilty of saying to the Lord (or just yelling it into the air, for that matter), that we're through? We've had it? Difficulties arise, and here we are, busy about the Lord's business, serving Him in which ever capacity He has placed us in, but that trial ... that nagging hardship just depletes our patience, and suddenly, our persistence is no more. We no longer want to serve. We feel the battle is to much to deal with any longer. Ever feel like that? I believe most of us have. When we enter into that "abiding" relationship with Jesus, that united, commited relationship, there is a strength that comes. We begin to discover that even in the battles, even in the hardships, we're going to "run the race", as Paul described it, and endure whatever we must, for the Kingdom of God, trusting Him to intervene in our lives (see Heb 12:1-2). Abiding in our life, builds a trust in Christ, a knowing that nothing escapes Him, and that He's well aware of what may be taking place in our lives. We also find that the revelation of God's word, is more of a reality in our life. We are now willing to endure all things patiently, and remain persistent in that which we are called to do.

4. To bear, that my life would produce fruit, and yield regularly:That I abide in Him, and likewise, that His words abide in me, that is what is necessary to produce "Godly" fruit in my life. Later on, in this series, we will be extensively covering the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Also, tobear trials.

Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself. I Jn.2:6 (Amplified Bible).

5. If we are truly abiding in Jesus (His Word), we will (by His keeping power) walk "as" He walked. When trials come, we will walk with a faith that trusts in the Father's keeping power.

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies, and who seek, inquire for and of Him and crave Him with the whole heart. Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]; they walk in His ways. Ps.119:2-3 (Amplified Bible).

Many trials Jesus bore, trusting His Father to the fullest. So it should be with us, when we endure (or bear) trials. May He bring us to the place where we too might "walk as He walked", fully trusting our Heavenly Father, as did Jesus.

6. If we are truly abiding in Jesus, we will love our brothers and sisters, in Him:

If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love. John 15:12 (Amplified Bible).

Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin. I Jn.2 9-10 (Amplified Bible).

We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death. Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding persevering) within him. By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him]. Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). 1 Jn. 3:14-16, 18 (Amplified Bible).

This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you. No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends. You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do. This is what I command you: that you love one another. Jn. 15:12-14,17 (Amplified Bible).

To love like this, Christ (His Word) must abide in us. Such a love comes from Him alone. It is not in our own nature, nor is it in our ability to love like this, yet let us ask of Him, that we would love Him greatly ... that we would love His word, and that we would obey Him, and keep His commands. He commands us to do so:

If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. John 15:14 (Amplified Bible). So be it!

7. By abiding in Jesus (abiding in His Word, as again, He is the Word), we will overcome the wicked one.It is the Truth (Gods powerful Word), that frees us from the power of satan, and, the bondage that satan places over us - the bondage of sin:

Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness. For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God's favor and mercy]. What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we live not under Law but under God's favor and mercy? Certainly not! Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)? But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action). I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification. Rom.6:13-19 (Amplified Bible).

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] Jn. 16:33 (Amplified Bible).

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. Jn. 8:32 (Amplified Bible)

8. We will NOT "deliberatly" continue on in a life of sin if we abide in the Truth.

No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him --deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] commits (practices) sin. No one who [habitually] sins has either seen or known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him]. 1 Jn 3:6 (Amplified Bible).

9. If we are to abide with God, we must abide in His will. We know His will is found in His Word. The scriptures also show us it is not flesh and blood that shall endure forever, but, it is the Word of God!

You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God. For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like [the] flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off, but the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you. 1 Pe.1:23-25 (Amplified Bible).

10. If the truth of His Words are abiding in us, we are guaranteed to continue in His fulness ... to continue on in Him:

The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand.

I and the Father are One.Jn. 10:27-30 (Amplified Bible).

We often are so so busy, tryng to "find" His fulness, looking here, there and everywhere, and where is it? Right here in His word!:

As for you, keep in your hearts what you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the first dwells and remains in you, then you will dwell in the Son and in the Father [always]. 1 Jn 2:24 (Amplified Bible).